Operationalizing Machine Learning for Command and Control (OpML C2)

Amendment No. 2 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section IV.2-CONTENT AND FORMAT is amended as follows:

CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit a 3 to 5 page white paper in a form of a PDF file, summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government.

The white paper will be formatted as follows:

a. Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Data Rights Assertions Name/Address of Company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contact (phone and email)(this section is NOT included in the page count);
b. Section B: Task Objective; and
c. Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables.

All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, their unique entity identifier and electronic funds transfer (EFT) indicator (if applicable), an e-mail address and reference BAA FA8750-19-S-7014 with their submission.

Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b).

2. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section VI.1-PROPOSAL FORMATTING is amended as follows:

1. PROPOSAL FORMATING: When developing proposals, reference the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions, Jul 2019, which may be accessed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab=core&_cview=1. Always reference the newest versions of these documents.

Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper.

No other changes are made.

                                         AMENDMENT 3 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement, incorporating any previous amendments, pursuant to FAR 35.016(c).

This republishing also includes the following changes:

1. Part I, Overview Information:
   1. Updated to reflect that Task 2 is CLOSED;
   2. Updates FBO reference to Beta SAM website; 
       
2. Part II, Full Text Announcement:
   1. Section I, updated to state that Task 2 is CLOSED and the technical description remains for reference purposes only;
   2. Section III.2.a.2, updates the DCSA website;
   3. Section IV, updated to reflect that Task 2 is CLOSED;
   4. Section IV.3.a, updates the DCSA website;
   5. Section IV.4.b and IV.4.c. updates clause dates;
      Section IV.4.e, updated the link to reference the Beta SAM website;
   6. Section VI.1, updates the RI Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions to the Beta SAM link;
   7. Section VII, updates the AFFARS Ombudsman clause date

No other changes have been made.

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

                                          AMENDMENT 4 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement, incorporating any previous amendments, pursuant to FAR 35.016(c).

This republishing also includes the following changes:

1. Part I, Overview Information:
   1. No changes made;

1. Part II, Full Text Announcement:

1. 1. Section IV.3.a, updates the NISOPM reference to reflect it being codified in the CFR;
   2. Section IV.4, adds paragraph g;
   3. Section V., adds paragraph 4 regarding adequate price competition;
   4. Section VI.1, updates the Proposal Formatting language;
   5. Section VI.7, updates the applicable provisions;
   6. Section VII: updated the OMBUDSMAN and clause date.

No other changes have been made.

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

                                   Amendment No. 5 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Section III, Eligibility Information, adds the following paragraph 5 for S&T Protection:

5. In accordance with AFRLI 61-113, S&T Protection, Contractors/Recipients are required to submit with their proposal a Standard Form 424, "Research and Related and Senior and Key Person Profile (Expanded), as well as a Security Program Questionnaire, which are included in the RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions and can be accessed at:

https://sam.gov/opp/e628c811fafe041accdddf55fb8539bf/view?keywords=AFRL-BAA-GUIDE&sort=-relevance&index=&is_active=true&page=1. Always reference the

newest versions of these documents.  Complete and submit the required forms with your proposal to the technical point of contact (TPOC) listed in Section VII-Agency Contacts AND AFRL.RIOF@us.af.mil.

Contractors will be required to provide documentation of their Security Program Plan for initial Institution S&T Protection Program Review. The purpose of requesting the plan is to evaluate the offeror’s capacity for protecting the Government’s S&T and failure to demonstrate a plan adequate to meet the needs of the requirement may be grounds for considering the proposal unawardable. In the event a security risk is identified and the Government has determined the security risk exceeds the acceptable threshold, the Contractor/Recipient will be notified and informed of the termination/decline of award. The Government will be only required to provide a general statement of the reasoning due to Government OPSEC measures.

After award, the Contractor/Recipient will be required to re-submit the Standard Form 424 as an annual requirement to the points of contact listed above.

No other changes are made.

Amendment No. 2 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section IV.2-CONTENT AND FORMAT is amended as follows:

CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit a 3 to 5 page white paper in a form of a PDF file, summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government.

The white paper will be formatted as follows:

a. Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Data Rights Assertions Name/Address of Company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contact (phone and email)(this section is NOT included in the page count);
b. Section B: Task Objective; and
c. Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables.

All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, their unique entity identifier and electronic funds transfer (EFT) indicator (if applicable), an e-mail address and reference BAA FA8750-19-S-7014 with their submission.

Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b).

2. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section VI.1-PROPOSAL FORMATTING is amended as follows:

1. PROPOSAL FORMATING: When developing proposals, reference the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions, Jul 2019, which may be accessed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab=core&_cview=1. Always reference the newest versions of these documents.

Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper.

No other changes are made.

                                         AMENDMENT 3 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement, incorporating any previous amendments, pursuant to FAR 35.016(c).

This republishing also includes the following changes:

1. Part I, Overview Information:
   1. Updated to reflect that Task 2 is CLOSED;
   2. Updates FBO reference to Beta SAM website; 
       
2. Part II, Full Text Announcement:
   1. Section I, updated to state that Task 2 is CLOSED and the technical description remains for reference purposes only;
   2. Section III.2.a.2, updates the DCSA website;
   3. Section IV, updated to reflect that Task 2 is CLOSED;
   4. Section IV.3.a, updates the DCSA website;
   5. Section IV.4.b and IV.4.c. updates clause dates;
      Section IV.4.e, updated the link to reference the Beta SAM website;
   6. Section VI.1, updates the RI Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions to the Beta SAM link;
   7. Section VII, updates the AFFARS Ombudsman clause date

No other changes have been made.

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

                                          AMENDMENT 4 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement, incorporating any previous amendments, pursuant to FAR 35.016(c).

This republishing also includes the following changes:

1. Part I, Overview Information:
   1. No changes made;

1. Part II, Full Text Announcement:

1. 1. Section IV.3.a, updates the NISOPM reference to reflect it being codified in the CFR;
   2. Section IV.4, adds paragraph g;
   3. Section V., adds paragraph 4 regarding adequate price competition;
   4. Section VI.1, updates the Proposal Formatting language;
   5. Section VI.7, updates the applicable provisions;
   6. Section VII: updated the OMBUDSMAN and clause date.

No other changes have been made.

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 2 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section IV.2-CONTENT AND FORMAT is amended as follows:

CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit a 3 to 5 page white paper in a form of a PDF file, summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government.

The white paper will be formatted as follows:

a. Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Data Rights Assertions Name/Address of Company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contact (phone and email)(this section is NOT included in the page count);
b. Section B: Task Objective; and
c. Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables.

All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, their unique entity identifier and electronic funds transfer (EFT) indicator (if applicable), an e-mail address and reference BAA FA8750-19-S-7014 with their submission.

Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b).

2. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section VI.1-PROPOSAL FORMATTING is amended as follows:

1. PROPOSAL FORMATING: When developing proposals, reference the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions, Jul 2019, which may be accessed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab=core&_cview=1. Always reference the newest versions of these documents.

Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper.

No other changes are made.

                                         AMENDMENT 3 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement, incorporating any previous amendments, pursuant to FAR 35.016(c).

This republishing also includes the following changes:

1. Part I, Overview Information:
   1. Updated to reflect that Task 2 is CLOSED;
   2. Updates FBO reference to Beta SAM website; 
       
2. Part II, Full Text Announcement:
   1. Section I, updated to state that Task 2 is CLOSED and the technical description remains for reference purposes only;
   2. Section III.2.a.2, updates the DCSA website;
   3. Section IV, updated to reflect that Task 2 is CLOSED;
   4. Section IV.3.a, updates the DCSA website;
   5. Section IV.4.b and IV.4.c. updates clause dates;
      Section IV.4.e, updated the link to reference the Beta SAM website;
   6. Section VI.1, updates the RI Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions to the Beta SAM link;
   7. Section VII, updates the AFFARS Ombudsman clause date

No other changes have been made.

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 2 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section IV.2-CONTENT AND FORMAT is amended as follows:

CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit a 3 to 5 page white paper in a form of a PDF file, summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government.

The white paper will be formatted as follows:

a. Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Data Rights Assertions Name/Address of Company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contact (phone and email)(this section is NOT included in the page count);
b. Section B: Task Objective; and
c. Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables.

All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, their unique entity identifier and electronic funds transfer (EFT) indicator (if applicable), an e-mail address and reference BAA FA8750-19-S-7014 with their submission.

Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b).

2. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section VI.1-PROPOSAL FORMATTING is amended as follows:

1. PROPOSAL FORMATING: When developing proposals, reference the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions, Jul 2019, which may be accessed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab=core&_cview=1. Always reference the newest versions of these documents.

Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper.

No other changes are made.

Amendment No. 2 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section IV.2-CONTENT AND FORMAT is amended as follows:

CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit a 3 to 5 page white paper in a form of a PDF file, summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government.

The white paper will be formatted as follows:

a. Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Data Rights Assertions Name/Address of Company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contact (phone and email)(this section is NOT included in the page count);
b. Section B: Task Objective; and
c. Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables.

All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, their unique entity identifier and electronic funds transfer (EFT) indicator (if applicable), an e-mail address and reference BAA FA8750-19-S-7014 with their submission.

Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b).

2. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section VI.1-PROPOSAL FORMATTING is amended as follows:

1. PROPOSAL FORMATING: When developing proposals, reference the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions, Jul 2019, which may be accessed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab=core&_cview=1. Always reference the newest versions of these documents.

Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper.

No other changes are made.

Amendment No. 1 to BAA FA8750-19-S-7014

The purpose of this amendment is to:

     1. Part I, Overview Information is updated to revise the due date for proposals under Task 2 as shown below:

PART I - OVERVIEW INFORMATION
This announcement is for an Open, 2-Step BAA which is open and effective until 30 Sep 2022. Only white papers will be accepted as initial submissions; formal proposals will be accepted by invitation only. While white papers will be considered if received prior to 4 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 30 Sep 2022, the following submission dates are suggested to best align with projected funding:

For Task 1 ONLY:
FY20 by 22 Aug 2019
FY21 by 31 Mar 2020
FY22 by 31 Mar 2021

For Task 2 ONLY:
The reliance on reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms for Task 2 introduces additional challenges covered in detail under the respective task description and it is anticipated that only one award will be made under this Task. Therefore, white papers for Task 2 ONLY are due on 22 AUG 2019 and if requested, proposals are due on 25 OCT 2019.

    2. Part II, Full Text Announcement, Section IV Application and Submission Information is updated to revise the due date for proposals under Task 2 as shown below:

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION:

All responses to this announcement must be addressed to the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) listed in SECTION VII. DO NOT send white papers to the Contracting Officer.

1. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES:
It is recommended that white papers be received by 4 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the following dates to maximize the possibility of award:

For Task 1 ONLY:
FY20 by 22 Aug 2019
FY21 by 31 Mar 2020
FY22 by 31 Mar 2021

For Task 2 ONLY:
The reliance on RL algorithms for Task 2 introduces additional challenges covered in detail under the respective task description and it is anticipated that only one award will be made under this Task. Therefore, white papers for Task 2 ONLY are due on 22 AUG 2019 and if requested, proposals are due on 25 OCT 2019.

     3. Section VI.1 is updated to revise the RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions as shown below:

1. PROPOSAL FORMATING: When developing proposals, reference the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions, Jul 2019, which may be accessed at: h
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab=core&_
cview=1. Always reference the newest versions of these documents.

     4. Section VII, Agency Contacts is revised to update the OMBUDSMAN as shown below:

In accordance with AFFARS 5301.91, an Ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition announcement. Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the contracting officer for resolution. AFFARS Clause 5352.201-9101 Ombudsman (Jun 2016) will be incorporated into all contracts awarded under this BAA.

The AFRL Ombudsman and AFRL Alternate Ombudsman are as follows:

Ombudsman:                 Mr. Steven Ewers
                                    AFRL/PK
                                    1864 4th Street
                                    Building 15, Room 225
                                    Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7130
                                    (937) 255-5235
                                    Steven.Ewers@us.af.mil

No other changes are made.

NAICS CODE: 541715

FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514

BAA ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial announcement

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) TITLE: Operationalizing Machine Learning for Command and Control (OpML C2)

BAA NUMBER: FA8750-19-S-7014

PART I - OVERVIEW INFORMATION

This announcement is for an Open, 2-Step BAA which is open and effective until 30 Sep 2022. Only white papers will be accepted as initial submissions; formal proposals will be accepted by invitation only. While white papers will be considered if received prior to 4 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 30 Sep 2022, the following submission dates are suggested to best align with projected funding:

For Task 1 ONLY:

FY20 by 22 Aug 2019
FY21 by 31 Mar 2020
FY22 by 31 Mar 2021

For Task 2 ONLY:

The reliance on reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms for Task 2 introduces additional challenges covered in detail under the respective task description and it is anticipated that only one award will be made under this Task. Therefore, white papers for Task 2 ONLY are due on 22 AUG 2019 and if requested, proposals are due on 18 OCT 2019.

Offerors should monitor the Federal Business Opportunities website at http://www.fbo.gov in the event this announcement is amended.

The OpML Program Team anticipates hosting an Industry Day to provide interested offerors an opportunity to learn more about our program and AFRL/RI's multi-domain C2 (MDC2) activities on 2 AUG 2019. Details regarding time, place, and visitor access will be published in FedBizOps shortly following the announcement publication proper.

CONCISE SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT: AFRL/RI is seeking to identify, develop, and evaluate novel applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to support operational aspects of Command and Control (C2). The OpML Program Team's initial analyses considered wide-ranging applications of ML in the air combat and air mobility operations centers, as well as interesting applications for air battle management C2. The analyses have narrowed down the space of paired operational applications and their potential ML solutions to a manageable set of specifications without precluding the proposal of other unique and novel approaches. The sought-out solutions primarily focus on the problems of planning, operational and tactical level decision making, and operational execution management. The development of prototype applications, respective use-cases, workflows, and data requirements are critical to establish the viability and usefulness of the assessed candidate applications for assessment in an operational setting.

BAA ESTIMATED FUNDING: Total funding for this BAA is approximately $24.9M. Individual awards will not normally exceed 24 months with dollar amounts normally ranging from $300,000 to $1,000,000. There is also the potential to make awards up to any dollar value as long as the value does not exceed the available BAA ceiling amount.

ANTICIPATED INDIVIDUAL AWARDS: Multiple Awards are anticipated.

TYPE OF INSTRUMENTS THAT MAY BE AWARDED: Procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements or other transactions (OT) depending upon the nature of the work proposed. In the event that an Other Transaction for Prototype agreement is awarded as a result of this competitive BAA, and the prototype project is successfully completed, there is the potential for a prototype project to transition to award of a follow-on production contract or transaction. The Other Transaction for Prototype agreement itself will also contain a similar notice of a potential follow-on production contract or agreement.

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION: All white paper submissions and any questions of a technical nature shall be directed to the cognizant Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) as specified below (unless otherwise specified in the technical area) (email requests are preferred):

BAA MANAGER:
Mr. Gennady Staskevich
AFRL/RISC
525 Brooks Rd
Rome, NY 13441-4505
Telephone: (315)330-4889
Email: Gennady.Staskevich@us.af.mil

Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant contracting officer, as specified below (email requests are preferred):

Ms. Amber Buckley
Telephone (315) 330-3605
Email: amber.buckley@us.af.mil

Emails must reference the solicitation (BAA) number and title of the acquisition.

Pre-Proposal Communication between Prospective Offerors and Government Representatives: Dialogue between prospective offerors and Government representatives is encouraged. Technical and contracting questions can be resolved in writing or through open discussions. Discussions with any of the points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government.

Offerors are cautioned that evaluation ratings may be lowered and/or proposal rejected if proposal preparation (Proposal format, content, etc.) and/or submittal instructions are not followed.